Quicken Loans to Sponsor Phoenix Fall 2014 Cup Race
"All eyes will be on Phoenix International Raceway next year as the end of the season rolls around and drivers are scrapping – literally and figuratively – for every position on the track," said Quicken Loans President and Chief Marketing Officer Jay Farner. "When we looked at the races on the NASCAR schedule, few others offered the same excitement and energy as the fall Phoenix race."
The race will conclude PIR's 50th Anniversary season and a year-long celebration of the track's rich history and contributions to motor sports in the West. Founded in 1964, PIR hosted its first NASCAR-sanctioned event in 1977 with a Winston West Series race. NASCAR's premier circuit, now known as the Sprint Cup Series, made its debut in Phoenix on November 6, 1988, and for the past 25 years, the fall race in Phoenix has been on or near Veterans Day weekend.
"We are proud to partner with Quicken Loans to present the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of our 50th Anniversary season," said Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber. "They are a leader on the track and in the Phoenix business community, and their continuing support of veterans makes this partnership a perfect fit for our Veterans Day Weekend event."
Quicken Loans, who has an office of more than 550 team members in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona, has a strong tradition of honoring active military and veterans. Most notably, the company sponsored the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic on Veterans Day 2011, a first-of-its-kind basketball game that was played on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and attended by President Obama and this year will run a special veteran –themed paint scheme in this Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at PIR.
"We continuously look for opportunities to honor our active military and veterans and thank them for their service to our country," said Farner. "What better way to do this than sponsor the Veterans Day race and have our veterans be a focal point of our efforts."
The partnership with PIR comes on the heels of Quicken Loans' announcement that it will join Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in 2014 and serve as primary sponsor of driver Ryan Newman's No. 31 Chevrolet SS for 12 races and associate sponsor for all remaining races, marking the company's third year in the sport. Quicken Loans will also continue as sponsor of Michigan International Speedway's Quicken Loans 400 Sprint Cup Race on June 15, 2014.